Value-added products?

vegangirl(z6 VA)April 9, 2007

Do those of you who have small backyard nurseries do any value-added product selling? I'm thinking of items that are not plants..gardening books,hand-made wooden things, etc. What has been your experience and do you think it is worth the extra trouble? Thanks!

Barn stars are in, books are out. Colorful accents are in. Get out paint in wow colors. Create a destination. You have the best plants with healthy vibrant foliage and blooming pretty flowers. There are no short cuts.

muddydogs comment of creating a destination got me thinking that you could have an event, if you have the space. i know some small growers do open house sales events where they sell most of their stock during two large events per year. if you know artisians, farmers, bakers, etc., have a little weekend fair. like a little farmers market. might need some sort of extra enticement like entertainment. depending on your area/market it could be kid oriented (clown, juggler) or adult oriented like a musician. or, go lower scale, like invite a local school or org to have a baked goods table as a fundraiser. if you advertise in conjunction with each other then you both benefit. so.... not really answering your question, but i thought i'd share some random brainstorming.

That's a really good idea that Rachel had about selling at the farmer's market. My old boss did garden installations but he did the farmer's markets for several years prior and developed quite a following in the early summer for his plants at the market. Plus, he would have pictures of his plants and a couple of gardens (such as his own) in a portfolio plus a sign up sheet for free estimates which he then used to sell even more gardens. Plants = More Gardens = More Revenue. :)

Some items may not make money in themselves but add to the profit bottom line. You want a potential customer to walk into your facility and not someone else's. A hardware store might not make a profit on keeping an inventory of 50 types of nails and screws but the customer might not otherwise walk in the door to buy his lumber and other needs...he'll go elsewhere. Those garden books might be minimal or no profit but they might bring the gardener into your business who is a keener and buys lots of plants. Folks will stop in to browse the books, see the whirly-gigs, wind chimes and so on. Some variation on that long cane at carnivals 'to hook' people in can be new 'stuff' that attracts gardeners.

Actually what we have is a daylily farm and we were thinking of putting up a little building that would look like an old country store with front porch and just adding some good books and whatever comes to mind. So far not much has come to mind:-)